Tag: aqueous

Best Of NYS 2018: You Have To Hear These Albums

Rule number one – turn off your shuffle. In today’s society we are overstimulated and the idea of an album, top to bottom, is fleeting. As we break into day two, the soundscapes of song become more vibrant when articulated within the peaks and valleys of an album. These highs and lows shape the story – Let the tellings of New York’s finest and booming bands be heard.

Put on your headphones (seriously, isolation is key). Listen, close your eyes and don’t open them until there is complete silence, when the final chords have fleeted. Let your mind reel as you discover the best albums of 2018.

HINT: Be on the lookout for ‘Discovery’ sections featuring other NYS staff votes for Best Of. There are so many great bands we simply can’t pick them all!

Best Album By A New York Artist

Aqueous – Color Wheel

Not only was Aqueous’ Color Wheel voted Best Album By A New York Artist, but was inches away from claiming the title of Best Album Overall. They have been banned from yesterday’s series of Best Under Rated as they owned that title two years running. The Buffalo based craze captured NYS fans and staff, without question.

There’s a certain continuity to this entire album, and it unfolds in a way that makes the track order important for the experience – there’s an underlying narrative happening throughout the lyrics and themes, and the overarching theme of the story is a strong sense of optimism through the struggle of the realities of life – Guitarist Mike Gantzer

So try that thing with your headphones. We will let the art speak for itself – and check out “Weight Of The World” featuring Turkuaz’s horn section.

Turkuaz – ‘Life In The City’

More vibrant than a rainbow, each track is crowded with intensity and expressionism. Life In The City paints the aura of a mundane, overstimulated world and bespatters the canvas with electro-funk graffiti. It’s infectious, luring ghost-walkers in from the darkest alleys. Once the nine-piece powerhouse entraps your mind, life as you know it, will cease to exist.

The title track, “Life In The City,” is familiar like walking. Weighted four-on-the-floor kick drum echoes the mass of worn shoes. Every step brings a new impetus. The overtones and decay of the drums juxtapose reality as they ring out through a suspended chorus. “Life In The City portrays a dark and dystopian future, or current city environment, full of over stimulus,” said guitar/vocalist Dave Brandwein. “It gets harder and harder to appreciate life. Blind in the spotlight and caught up in the hustle and bustle of the city. We want it to feel that way in our songs.”

Collectively the album is a constant echo of life. From a willingness to try and “just letting it come out”, themes arose, like the reoccurring ‘city noises’ throughout the record.

Discovery: Albums On Repeat

Catch up with the BEST BANDS OF 2018 because you’re already behind. It’s only day two and an earful of music is stuck on replay! Witty Tarbox, voted one of the most under rated bands along with, Escaper, Intent To Sell and Groovestick, all had votes for best album by a New York Artist.

Best Album Overall

Sister Sparrow – ‘Gold’

The glimmer of Gold has caught our eyes. The overanxious wait for another Dirty Bird release had us on edge. In the past three years we have been deprived of the nitty-gritty funk powerhouse and soulful horn section that is Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds. While Gold is everything we want, with that iconic bird edge, this record is a spotlight on the undeniable front-woman Arleigh Kincheloe, a.k.a Sister Sparrow.

“As an artist, we have to evolve. If we stay the same, then we’re going backwards,” said Kincheloe in an interview with NYS. This razors edge has captivated fans – a blend between modern-pop shimmer, electronic accents and that Dirty Bird flare. “I always wanted to try too marry modern sounds, hip hops elements, soul and funk stuff that I love. I have a whole Spotify playlist that was my soundscape for this: The Staples, Aretha Franklin, The Pointer Sisters, Bill Withers, Paul Simon, Joe Cocker – a very ’70s vibe. But I tried to add the modern techniques and drum sounds,” Said Kincheloe. Stop reading. Go Listen.

Discovery: Why Not Listen To Them All?

John Medeski’s Mad Skillet

Lizzie & The Makers – ‘Meanwhile’

Roan Yellowthorn – ‘Inigo’

Leon Bridges – ‘Good Thing’

Mikaela Davis – ‘Delivery’

December 18, 2018
Aqueous Announces 2019 Winter Tour

2018 has been a tremendous year for Aqueous, hailing from Buffalo, as the groove-rock foursome has taken the nation by storm with their Color Wheel tour and the momentum will continue into 2019 with a Winter West Coast tour co-headlining with BIG Something.

Kicking off in February, the 20-date tour will include several stops in the Midwest, a five-date run in Colorado and debut appearances in Oregon, Washington and California.

Guitarist Dave Loss stated, “We couldn’t be more excited to head west. The band has played Colorado several times now and it almost feels like a second home to us. We always feel so much love there. This will, however, be the band’s first venture out to the West Coast. We’ve been wanting to get out there for a long time now and we’re stoked to finally make it happen. Doing it with our good friends BIG Something just makes it that much better!” The band will then bring their maiden voyage south for three shows in Texas before wrapping up in New Orleans.

Tickets for the upcoming co-headlining tour are on sale this Friday, December 14 here.

December 13, 2018
moe. Brewed Up Tasty Jams on Night 1 of Saranac Run

Buffalo rockers moe. returned to Saranac Matt Brewery in Utica, NY for a 2-night run over September 7th and 8th. The weather was warm, the city was bustling, and the moe.rons were ready for some brain-melting music.

The show opened up with a fellow Buffalo act, moe.’s protege if you will, Aqueous, a younger group more focused on groove, but inspired by moe.’s progressive music. The band opened with their version of the classic “Super Mario Bros. Theme,” before bringing it into the four on the floor dance tune “Second Sight,” a song featured on the group’s newly released Color Wheel Wave 1 EP, released the day of the show. Following “Second Sight” was one of their more popular songs, “Kitty Chaser (Explosions),” a heavier rock tune that usually leads the crowd to some head banging during the explosive chorus.

The group jammed it out a bit before segueing into their freshly debuted cover of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die.” Next was another heavier tune, the Evan McPhaden-penned “Origami.” At this point the crowd had started to fill up, and they grooving along to what Aqueous was brewing at Saranac. To close out the set, the band played the jovial “Random Company,” featured on their last studio effort, Best In Show. “Random Company” had the longest jam of the set at 18 minutes and solidified Aqueous as a band to look out for in many .rons’ hearts.

If you’ve ever been to a moe. show, you know the band loves to come out swinging and stay that way until they leave the stage following the encore. Saranac was no different. As they broke into “Timmy Tucker,” the audience knew they were in for a treat. It should be noted, Rob Derhak was particularly on point all weekend, nailing all of his vocal and bass parts in his typical Rob fashion, but attendees could tell he was feeling especially on fire in this home field venue.

After a few chorus sing-a-long’s with the audience, the group brought “Timmy” into a fairly standard jam, before slowing it down a bit for the majority of the improv section. Around the 15-minute mark, there was a short peak, and the group brought the song into one last chorus before bringing it to a close. Following “Timmy” was the fast-paced “Mar-DeMa,” originally written for an event the group threw called ‘The Electric Lemoe.nade Acid Test.’ The tune acted as a great break from jamming following “Timmy,” and heavily featured the rhythm pair of Vinnie Amico and Jim Loughlin on drums and percussion, respectively. The group brought “Mar-DeMa” into the Al Schnier classic “Bring It Back Home,” another crowd sing-a-long, with catchy lyrics that are easy for even the non-.rons to follow. The song stayed within the bounds of its musical world for the jam, serving as a sort of experimental solo backing track for both Chuck Garvey and Schnier.

As “Bring it Back Home” was closed out by a fantastic drum solo from Amico, the grip dropped into the fan favorite “Water,” greeted by a roar of cheers from the crowd. “Water” was the first heavier song of the show—while still keeping its flowy vibe throughout—and led to an amazing solo from Garvey as the rest of the band kept the train going behind him. After a short break, the band dropped into the Garvey-led “Hi & Lo,” slowing the feel down a bit after the faster paced “Water,” and allowing Garvey to stretch his legs vocally for the first time of the show.

“Hi & Lo” featured a more experimental jam at first, but was brought into a usually driving moe. jam with a peak led by Garvey, before being slowly dropped into Derhak’s newest tune, “LL3,” written following Derhak’s victory over cancer, penned about the train he took into Boston for his cancer treatment. This version of “LL3” was a bit faster-paced than they’ve been playing it since it was debuted at their return to the Cap and the stage this past February. The whole group was locked in throughout the tune, and Derhak was singing with all the emotion he had in his heart. The song was brought into a quick peak, featuring another fantastic Garvey solo over the tune’s dark, descending melody. After one last chorus, the group brought the tune into the set’s closer, “Big World,” an upbeat tune that brought the crowd’s energy back up following the rather somber “LL3.” Schnier led the song vocally and on guitar, taking a quacky, envelope filter-filled solo and leading the tune into its usual peak.

After a short set break, the group came out and immediately broke into “Buster,” the upbeat song about a pig that can fly, a fan favorite. “Buster” featured a fairly standard jam on the song’s main groove, and provided a soundtrack to the party .rons were having out in the audience. Following a mini-peak, the band took a quick break, and dropped into “Prestige Worldwide,” the Derhak-penned jam vehicle that debuted in late 2016. The intro of the song always provides some of the finest Schnier-Garvey guitar interplay you’ll get to see live, and sometimes will build into a mini-peak before the main song even starts.

After Derhak finished singing the last of the song’s verses, the group dropped into the “B” section of the song, and started into a typical Schnier-led jam, before Loughlin took a hefty vibrophone solo that left jaws dropped to the floor. Garvey took the helm after Loughlin’s solo and brought the group into the end of the song. Following “Prestige,” Schnier introduced Mike Gantzer of Aqueous, while praising the group and saying “they really keep us on our toes,” before leading the group into his song “Mexico.”

“Mexico” is the tale of Schnier’s 21st birthday trip to Mexico, a trip he’ll never forget. Throughout the tune, Gantzer followed along with Garvey’s textural lead playing while still adding his own flavor to the mix. Following the the main portion of the song, Gantzer grabbed the bull that is moe. by the horns and led them into a jam that isn’t exactly typical in a tune like “Mexico.” The Aqueous guitarist proceeded to take a solo that evoked the loudest cheers of the night from the crowd, and Schnier changed “cousin Dave” to “cousin Mike” for the last verse of the song.

Derhak dropped into the opening lyrics of “Captain America” and the crowd cheered as it raged full force at the brewery. The jam was getting ready to drop into “Four,” so the group took it slow and let the tension build as they crept their way towards those opening chords. Garvey and Schnier led another duo guitar section until Derhak took off on a tiny bass expedition before “Four” officially started. This version of “Four” started off a little slower than it typically does, but the group brought it up to tempo in time for Garvey to start into the lyrics. The jam was the second longest of moe.’s night, consisting of 2 peaks and a really experimental bass solo from Derhak, utilizing some of his more interesting sounding effects pedals and blowing the minds of everyone in the audience. To close out the set, the group brought “Four” into “Meat” through a really ambient, almost techno jam.

The progressive “Meat” was met by a roar of cheers from the crowd, and immediately got down and dirty. “Meat” is like Rush taking steroids and jamming for 20 minutes. The song is a prog rock masterpiece, and moe. knocked this one out of the park. Loughlin took another, shorter impressive solo in the midst of the jam, before Derhak took another long bass solo. This time he utilized some fuzz effects, making his unique bass sound like a synthesizer for doing what he does best and ending out the jam with a crazy awesome slap solo.

The group drove the train all the way home to the station at the end of the “Meat” jam, peaking with an impressive solo from Garvey that was weaving in and out of the song’s riffs. The group came out and encored with the Schnier-penned fan favorite “Seat of My Pants,” the reggae-esque rock number with scat-like lyrics. The jam didn’t get too crazy, it stayed a typical “SOMP” jam till the end, but provided the perfect ending to an incredible show.

NYS Music will also be providing coverage of the final night the moe. Saranac run, so check back tomorrow for that article. For a taste of what the first night of the Saranac run was like, check out the photo gallery below.

Setlist:

Set 1: Timmy Tucker, Mar-DeMa > Bring It Back Home > Water, Hi & Lo > LL3 > Big World
Set 2: Buster, Prestige Worldwide, Mexico*, Captain America > Four > meat
Encore: Seat of My Pants

*ft. Mike Gantzer of Aqueous on guitar

Photography by Matt Shotwell / Strawberry Island Dweller

September 11, 2018
Aqueous Discuss Tour, New Album and More at Cobblestone Live Music Festival

On day two of the second annual Cobblestone Live music festival, three-fourths of Buffalo’s own groove-rock powerhouse, Aqueous, joined me amidst the celebration of music and art. Dave Loss (guitar/vox), Evan McPhaden (Bass), and Rob Houk (Drums) sat down to discuss their incredibly busy summer thus far, coming home to Buffalo, their new studio album, Color Wheel, and their upcoming, and most extensive fall tour yet.

Andy Hogan: Cobblestone Live is obviously a homecoming for you guys, but you’ve had quite the summer away from Buffalo, so far. Between Summer Camp, Mountain Music Festival, Disc Jam, Electric Forest and Peach, what have been some major takeaways from the tour?

DL: One of the bigger highlights I think was being able to sell out The Bluebird Theater.

RH: That was a huge highlight of the summer. I think a good rule of thumb is never expect to sell out, and when you’re not in a hometown scenario, you never know what’s going to happen.

AH: But in Denver, that’s kind of just the scene, right? People just get out and go to see music.

RH: I feel like it’s become a second home to us. The response to music out there is just something you don’t see…like, every night there is just a banging show.

AH: And you see those weird kind of pockets even locally, right? Ithaca, for example, has tons of people getting out to see music on a Friday or Saturday night. Where else do you guys see that?

DL: Burlington, VT for sure.

RH: Omaha!

DL: Yeah! Omaha, Nebraska we’ve had three really good experiences. Once with Papadosio, and twice at the Reverb Lounge.

RH: People go nuts in Omaha…they throw down.

AH: Coming back to Buffalo for Cobblestone must be a special occasion. Particularly for you, Dave and Evan, having grown up here. To see this area transform, could you have imagined this would be happening even a few years ago?

DL: No. Even the whole city in general from ten years ago has seen such growth in a positive way. Like you said, this whole area was not a thing, the whole Canalside area was not a thing, so it’s really nice to see all of this happening.

AH: From what I read online, your first time ever playing down here was not too long after Iron Works opened in 2014…is it safe to say Iron Works is your favorite spot around town?

DL: It was definitely a huge place for us to continue to grow in the city. Josh [Holtzman] obviously runs it, and he’s our homie so it’s been really nice. Even more than that, it’s helped bring a lot of great music into the city…a lot of other acts that hadn’t really been coming to Buffalo prior to it being open.

RH: It’s a good spot for a mid-level band…they treat you like a king. It’s not just a great spot to play, they also understand what it’s like to be on the road. At the end of the day, when you treat your musicians well, they’re going to play better, your patrons are going to be happier…it works all around.

EM: It’s definitely a music venue for musicians. Josh actually used to manage us and would come on the road with us. So he’s seen all the venues we’ve been to and knows exactly what he wants for Iron Works.

AH: Now, there’s something new in your live set that I noticed last night. I saw that both you (Dave) and Mike [Gantzer] are now using PRS (Paul Reed Smith) guitars. How does this affect you sonically?

DL: Haha, he’s finally seen the light! I love those guitars. What’s cool about his, and mine does it too, but you can coil tap. So there are two humbuckers on the outside that can go between single and humbucker, then there is a single coil in the middle. Plus it’s a bolt on neck, all that adds that like Fender Stratocaster snap that you can get. So he can still get that single coil, fatty-strat kind of sound with that guitar, but he can still get the rippin’ leads with the humbuckers.

Shortly after this interview, Aqueous announced both Mike and Dave are now officially endorsed by PRS guitars.

AH: Evan, while we’re on the topic of gear, what can you tell me about your bass?

EM: It’s made by a Polish company called Mayones. Our friend Ryan has one, and I got to play it for a weekend and I fell in love with it. It’s deep, but still bright at the same time. I run it through a TC Electronic Blacksmith…I think it’s 1600 watts, which is, a lot. I also have a 6×10 Ampeg Cabinet.

AH: Rob, I don’t know anything about drums, but I am curious what kind of kit you play; what are your preferences?

RH: My kit is a Gretsch Renown Maple with a Pork Pie Lil’ Squealer Snare, which is also kind of weird because I play a 12” snare as my primary. Cymbals, I break them so often that I just try to find something that sounds good, usually used.

AH: It’s funny, most drummers will tell you they prefer used cymbals. Like in the Phish documentary, Bittersweet Motel, Jon Fishman has a room just filled with old, somewhat beat up cymbals.

DL: I randomly watched that clip the other day for some odd reason!

RH: Yeah, some of that stuff really builds character. Like having dirt, and just the grit and oil that gets on them. Some drummers like to clean them until their just shiny all the time…I don’t know, I think that might do them a disservice — that metal is there to develop, it’s part of your sound, part of your tone

AH: Now the new album [Color Wheel] will be your first studio album since the Best in Show EP. You guys recorded at GCR again, right?

DL: Yep, with Justin Rose.

AH: When I had Mike on the podcast, he had said that you guys studied a lot of musicians and artists, not only their music, but also the way they actually recorded. Who were some of those artists?

DL: Steely Dan was always a huge influence.

RH: I think we were also looking at some late 90s hard rock albums…some Incubus type stuff.

EM: Even pop material, as well. I feel like in albums in the past, the way we mixed background vocals were kind of loud. I feel like on this one we had more of a lead singer kind of sound. The Beatles, for example, do a lot of very full harmonies that are always upfront.

DL: Yes! I always love listening to The Beatles before we go into recording…there’s so many interesting mix choices, tones, ect.

AH: Well in addition to the new album, your fall tour is coming in quick. Is this the biggest headlining tour to date?

DL: Yes — we’re really excited. We have a lot of great support on it too; Mungion, Heavy Pets, Goose, and Elm.

AH: Super exciting. I saw that September 7th you guys will be back at the Utica Brewery with moe. What an honor to play with them, and all these bands you get to play with.

DL: Yeah doin’ another one with them and getting to play with Umphrey’s again in October.

EM: I think the last couple of years, we’ve been very lucky to be put where we have been…and we’re very grateful.

Aqueous kicks off their fall tour Friday, September 7th in Utica, NY with moe. at the Saranac Brewery. For tickets, all of Aqueous’ fall dates, and to pre-order their new upcoming studio album, Color Wheel, visit aqueousband.com.

September 9, 2018
Aqueous Announces Tour as New Album ‘Color Wheel’ Set to Release Soon

The Buffalo quartet Aqueous has announced that their upcoming and long-awaited studio record; Color Wheel, will be dropping on October 12. Since their last 2014 release entitled Cycles, the group has felt a strong sense of progress and evolution in their sound that Aqueous guitarist/keyboardist David Loss describes as, “Color Wheel feels like a step forward for the band in every way. We tapped into a distinctly more emotional and purposeful space when writing it.” He also went on to say that the lyrics and themes that listeners will encounter in their journey throughout the album will have a sense of relatability which makes the project that much more special to them.

The album boasts a 10-song track list which has been kept unheard with exceptions like “Second Sight” and “Weight of the Word.” The anticipation of the songs is even that much more intense since Aqueous will not be releasing it all at once. Considering that it is a concept album, it will be presented in waves with the first being available next week! The Aqueous guitarist explained this creative decision by stating, “There’s a certain continuity to this entire album, and it unfolds in a way that makes the track order important for the experience. We wanted to release the album in waves, ultimately, to give people a chance to settle into each section of the album and digest it thoroughly before diving into the next.”

With such a thrilling project at hand, it only seems logical to accompany it with announcing a cross-country tour. However, this will be their most extensive one to date and will be filled with appearances by several other groups including moe., ELM, The Heavy Pets, and many more!

See track list and tour dates below:

Color Wheel

Second Sight
How High You Fly
Realize Your Light
Split The Difference
Color Wheel
Good Enough
Half In, Half out
Weight Of The Word (feat. Turkuaz Horns)
Mandela Effect
In It (For Me)

AQUEOUS

Upcoming Tour Dates:

9/7 – Saranac Brewery – Utica, NY **

9/20 – Resonance Music and Arts Festival – Thornville, OH

9/21 – Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA *

10/6 – Liberty Pumpkin Ball – Roaring Ranch, PA

10/19 & 10/20 – The Palace Theater – St. Paul, MN >

10/24 – Space Ballroom – Hamden, CT ^

10/25 – Higher Ground Showcase Lounge – South Burlington, VT ^

10/26 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA ^

10/27 – The Hollow – Albany, NY ^

10/31 – Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY ^

11/1 – Wonder Bar – Asbury Park, NJ ^

11/2 – Union Stage – Washington D.C. ^

11/3 – The Foundry at The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA ^

11/4 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA #

11/6 – The Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC #

11/7 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC #

11/8 – The Social – Orlando, FL #

11/9 – Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL #

11/10 – The Crowbar – Tampa, FL #

11/14 – Zydeco – Birmingham, AL #

11/15 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5 #

11/16 – Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC #

11/17 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN #

11/28 – Blind Pig – Ann Arbor, MI +

11/29 – Chop Shop – Chicago, IL

11/30 – The Miramar Theatre – Milwaukee, WI +

12/5 – Hodi’s Halfnote – Ft. Collins, CO ^

12/6 – 10 Mile Music Hall – Frisco, CO ^

12/7 – Old Town Pub – Steamboat Springs, CO ^

12/8 -Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO ^

12/11 – The Waiting Room – Omaha, NE $

12/12 – The Bootleg at Atomic Cowboy – St. Louis, MO $

12/13 – The Hi-Fi – Indianapolis, IN $

** w/ moe.

* w/ ELM

> w/ Umphrey’s McGee

^ w/ Mungion

+ w/ EGI

# w/ The Heavy Pets

$ w/ Goose

September 5, 2018
Night Lights Music Festival Welcomes Attendees Home

This past weekend, the eighth annual Night Lights Music Festival was held at The Heron in Sherman, NY. Nestled in western New York’s Amish country, The Heron’s grounds bring attendees back to simpler times, reminiscent of the summer camps some of us were sent to as younglings. For the most part, the weather was stellar besides a heavy rainstorm rolling in during Octave Cat’s late night set on Saturday night.

One super special thing about Night Lights’ community is the festival’s focus on the physical and mental health of everyone attending. The security onsite is more focused on the well-being of each audience member than busting people for illicit activities, and on the grounds was an area called the “Sanctuary,” which was designated for those who needed to calm down or ease themselves if they were feeling particularly hairy.

The weekend started on Thursday night, with bands alternating on the smaller two of the three stages, the Cafe Stage and Drum Circle Stage. Intrepid Travelers took the Cafe Stage by storm with their jazzy improvisations, filling their set with musical segues and a few choice covers, including “Musicology” by the late funk legend Prince. The Buffalo-native group also featured one of their groovier tracks, the synth-heavy “Woolify,” towards the end of their set.

Fellow Buffalo-based group Space Junk were next and and brought their jamtronica stylings to the Drum Circle Stage. The band kept this set all original, as they were getting ready to perform a Disco Biscuits tribute set on Saturday. This first set featured the fan favorite “Das Bootie” into “Ascension,” as well as “Hammurabi’s Code,” all of which were delivered with Space Junk’s usual jam treatment, although Night Light’s environment seemed to breed something special in the group’s music, a theme that became common throughout the weekend.

Closing out the night on the Drum Circle Stage was a seemingly mysterious band known as Boss Tweed & The Carpetbaggers. Despite the mayhem they caused last year, the group was invited back to play again this year. Among the many profane songs they performed, “I Killed It With My Dick,” “I Fucked Your Wife,” and the eloquently named “Boners” seemed to get the crowd riled up the most. The band also shaved multiple audience members’ heads, pied several others in the face, and asked the audience for a dollar on numerous occasions.

Friday kicked off with Pappy Biondo of Cabinet’s side project Gatos Blancos on the Main Stage. Gatos Blancos featured a similar rocking bluegrass sound to Cabinet, while still remaining its own group.There are a few other well known artists in the group, namely drummer John Kimock of Mike Gordon Band and guitarist Justin Mazer of Ryan Montbleau Band, who showed off his impressive guitar skills throughout the set. Pappy immediately moved from the Main Stage to the Cafe Stage to sit in with the upbeat Buffalo bluegrass group Folkfaces.

Folkfaces performed numerous originals, all oozing with positivity and optimistic worldviews, which brought an overwhelming sense of joy to the audience. They’ve been making a name for themselves recently, touring extensively throughout the country, all the way from Buffalo to New Orleans. Funktional Flow performed on the Drum Circle Stage later that night, bringing their reggae-infused jams to The Heron’s grounds. Wild Adriatic brought their Led Zeppelin tribute set to the Cafe Stage, and after performing one of their original tunes, broke into numerous Zeppelin classics, including “Dazed and Confused,” “Communication Breakdown,” and “Good Times Bad TImes.” Lead vocalist Travis Gray’s voice suited the music perfectly, borrowing from Robert Plant’s soulful vocals at times while still maintaining his own soulfulness.

As the night crept on, Buffalo groove rockers Aqueous took to the Main Stage for their first set of the weekend. The group is a mainstay at Night Lights, and a big reason a lot of people return. For this first set, they broke out into the heavy rocker “Gordon’s Mule,” and then jammed out “The Median,” two fan favorites that really got the crowd going. After a stellar version of “Complex pt. 2,” they debuted their cover of Supertramp’s classic “Goodbye Stranger,” and brought it into the upbeat, yet spooky “Don’t Do It,” which featured a sit in from moe.’s Chuck Garvey on guitar. To close out the set, the group played keyboardist/guitarist Dave Loss’ magnum opus “Staring Into The Sun,” which they’ve performed at Night Lights every year they’ve played it.

Following Aqueous on the main stage were the funk outfit The Motet, the Denver-based 7 piece that always fill their shows with positivity and funky grooves. The group was on fire on Friday night, which happened to be saxophonist Drew Sayers’ birthday, a fact that vocalist Lyle Divinsky delighted in sharing with the audience multiple times throughout the set. The last major set of the night came from Fearless (A Pink Floyd Tribute), featuring Chuck Garvey of moe., Eli WInderman of Dopapod, Mike Gantzer and Evan McPhaden of Dopapod, and Matt Kellen of Mungion. The supergroup worked through many Floyd classics, including “Breathe,” “Time,” “Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “Brain Damage/Eclipse,” and of course, “Fearless.” The highlights of the set included jammed out versions of “Have a Cigar,” “Run Like Hell,” “Comfortably Numb,” and “Young Lust,” which the group did not shy away from putting their own spin on. The entire crowd sang along to every song, and thoroughly enjoyed the group’s renditions of these Pink Floyd classics.

Upstate, formerly known as Upstate Rubdown, were the talk of the town on Saturday, taking to the Cafe Stage for an enthusiastic set of music. The three always wonderful female lead vocalists brought their harmonies to the forefront of the music, filling the audience with a feeling of joy. After some technical difficulties, the group decided to bring the show to the crowd, and performed a couple songs acoustically amidst the attendees. Tropidelic performed on the Main Stage next, bringing their funk-infused reggae music to life with a very active hour and a half long set. Throughout the set, the group did some synchronized dance moves, which really got the crowd going amidst the drizzling of rain that occurred. Following Tropidelic, lespecial performed on the Cafe Stage, and they were on fire, despite having driven all the way there from Connecticut in a rental van. The group brought out percussionist Chuck Morris of Lotus for a few songs, namely “Jackwise,” a popular track from their most recent album Cheen. The group also performed a newer song with Chuck, titled “Machine Elf Production Co,” as well as the fan favorite “Fruit Wolf Dance.”

Aqueous took to the Main Stage for the second time of the weekend after lespecial, breaking into their super popular “Kitty Chaser (Explosions),” to kick off the set. Following “Kitty,” the group performed a new song called “Say It Again,” (debuted in Buffalo last month at Cobblestone Live), before breaking into the oldie but goodie “Dave’s Song,” which was brought into the mysterious “Mosquito Valley pt. 2.” After a stellar rendition of “Mosquito,” the band debuted their version of Prince’s classic “Kiss,” with lead guitarist Mike Gantzer singing in a falsetto Prince-esque voice to really nail the song. Towards the middle of the jam, Dopapod and Octave Cat keyboardist Eli Winderman came onstage for a killer Moog synthesizer solo, before the group brought the jam into “Warren in the Window.” To close out the set, the Buffalo groove rockers performed the somewhat rare original “20/20,” which featured a strong electronic jam section towards the end, getting the crowd ready for Lotus’ set.

Lotus started their set off with the fan favorite “Wax,” a tense tune that features one of Mike Rempel’s best guitar melodies. The group kept the groove going throughout the set, bringing their well known jamtronica sound to the woods of Sherman, NY. Rounding out the night, Octave Cat took to the Cafe Stage for a late night set, and their music seemed to bring down some heavy rain. The group performed lots of original music, including “Intl Klein,” “Spar,” and their new single “Precarious,” which had the whole crowd dancing the night away. As the set crawled on and on the sky seemed to open up more and more, leading to the crowd removing all of their cares and dancing harder. The group seamlessly integrated their improvisations into the songs, barely even letting the crowd know that they were improvising in the first place. The group provided the perfect set to close out the weekend, and created many new fans at Night Lights.

The eighth annual Night Lights was a major success, featuring a lineup of incredible bands and homegrown (literally) food vendors. The festival will return in 2019, and NYS Music hopes to see some familiar faces there. Check out the photo gallery below for a taste of what the weekend was like.

Photography by Matt Shotwell at Strawberry Island Dweller

September 1, 2018
Night Lights Music Festival to Host 8th Annual Event

Next weekend, the 8th annual Night Lights Music Festival will be taking place in Sherman, NY at The Heron. This is Night Lights’ biggest year yet, featuring some big names like Lotus and The Motet. The festival will be taking place from August 23rd-25th, continuing last year’s move to a 3-day fest in late August.

In addition to the artists mentioned above, this year’s lineup features two sets from Aqueous, a “Fearless” Pink Floyd tribute set, featuring Chuck Garvey of moe. and Mike Gantzer of Aqueous on guitar, Evan McPhaden of Aqueous on bass, Eli Winderman of Dopapod on keyboards, and Matt Kellen of Mungion on drums, and a set from Winderman’s side project Octave Cat, featuring Jesse Miller of Lotus and Charlie Patierno, a local Philadelphia drummer.

Several other tribute sets will be performed over the weekend at Night Lights Music Festival, including a Led Zeppelin tribute from Glens Falls rockers Wild Adriatic, a Disco Biscuits tribute set from Buffalo-based Space Junk, and a 90’s Hip Hop tribute set from Syracuse funk group Sophistaphunk. A bunch of other Buffalo bands will be featured at the fest, including jazz rock group Intrepid Travelers, intellifunk jam group Cold Lazarus, and the funky, reggae-infused Funktional Flow. Some smaller bands that are worth checking out are the Connecticut-based rockers, lespecial, Appalachian soul group, Upstate Rubdown, and the genre-bending Ohio group Tropidelic.

Night Lights will have several food vendors throughout the fest, including A SeaSons Bounty, an event/festival dining experience that features “gulf coast cuisine,” meaning an infusion of Cajun, Caribbean, Texas Barbecue, and Florida Seafood. Bees and Thankyou will tide over the grilled cheese lovers coming to Night Lights, featuring four unique sandwiches, all with different ingredients. Grateful Grind coffee will act as the fest’s local cafe, offering cold brew coffee, smoothies, breakfast bowls, and many more delicious treats to start the day off right. Community Beer Works from Buffalo has partnered with the fest to offer their fantastic selection of beers to attendees. These are just a few of the vendors that you’ll be able to get food from throughout the weekend. The fest will also feature free, potable water to refill your reusable water bottles.

Check out the daily schedules above to plan out your Night Lights weekend. NYS Music will be releasing coverage of the fest afterwards, so check back with us for our thoughts on the experience.

August 19, 2018
Cobblestone Live Host Successful Second-Year Festival

This past weekend in Buffalo, NY the second annual Cobblestone Live was put on by the famous venue Buffalo Iron Works. The weather remained sunny for a majority of the weekend, besides a little drizzling for 15 minutes during Saturday afternoon. There were four stages spread across the Cobblestone District, one set up on both Illinois and Columbia St.’s, one inside Iron Works, and one inside Lockhouse Distillery. Some of the food highlights of the weekend were the Lloyd taco truck, Barely Edible crepe truck, and the free tacos from Breezy Burrito Company, although those were VIP-only.

The festival featured both local bands and national bands alike, such as Cold Lazarus, Space Junk, and the ever-growing groove rockers Aqueous for the former, and Andy Frasco & The U.N., Turkuaz, and Los Angeles natives Chicano Batman. The lineup also showcased some international bands, bringing Broken Social Scene and The Sheepdogs down from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. One of the first impressive sets of the weekend came from Madaila, the Burlington-based psych pop group that all were all dressed in the same turquoise t-shirts with an “M” insignia on the front. The band brought their “A” game playing song after song of their upbeat, synth-driven pop. The much talked about Chicano Batman took to the Illinois St. stage next, impressing many festivalgoers with their genre-bending soul music and frequent instrument swaps between band members. It was very clear that frontman Bando Martinez was putting his heart and soul into this performance, leaving a lasting impression on the members of the audience.

Next up were local favorites Aqueous with their first set of the weekend on the Columbia St. stage. The groove rockers busted out covers of both parts of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” by famous psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips, as well as the debut of an original tune, “Say It Again,” which was a highlight in the near-perfect set. Lead guitarist Mike Gantzer also debuted his new Paul Reed Smith guitar at this set, seemingly enjoying the new but familiar sounds he was drawing out of the instrument. Following Aqueous, Brooklyn-based funk group Turkuaz took to Illinois St. with their always-astounding tunes. The band opened with their classic “Chatte Lunatique,” immediately raising the moods of the audience up while telling their bodies to get down. The group also played some of their bigger hits such as “Percy Thrills, The Moon Dog” and “Nightswimming,” which were featured on their recent live release 040717. To close out the first night of the fest, Nashville-based jazz funk band Dynamo took to the stage inside Iron Works and laid down some fiery versions of their original tunes. They had the whole venue packed and grooving, energizing the late night attendees with their funky yet soulful grooves and positive stage presences, especially the captivating Emoni Wilkins on vocals.

Local intellifunk jam group Cold Lazarus kicked off Saturday with a remarkable set on Illinois St., waking up the Cobblestone District with their groovy, reggae infused music. The band started rather recently, just at the beginning of 2017, when guitarist Adam Gould, bassist Gavin Patierni, and drummer Marc Scapelitte came together for a new project, only to find they had instant musical chemistry, later adding keyboardist/saxophonist Drew Minton to the mix. Another local group known as Space Junk took to the Iron Works stage a little later in the afternoon, bringing their jamtronica-esque jams and progressive sound to the venue. Guitarist Matt Fantini and keyboardist Cary Meehan were melodically locked in, while the rhythm section of bassist Will Thompson and drummer Kevin Rogers kept the grooves tight and funky throughout the set. Their set was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. Down on Columbia St., madman Andy Frasco and his band The U.N. brought their soulful blues rock and bottle of Jameson to Cobblestone, putting on one hell of a show. Frasco made sure to incorporate the audience into the show as much as possible, getting down into the crowd several times throughout the set to have the crowd play a game similar to “follow the leader” a few times, help him crowd surf to his bottle of Jameson, and lift him up in a chair Bar Mitzvah style, dancing around him in a circle. The group brought out Mike Gantzer of Aqueous for an original tune and a brief version of AC/DC’s classic “Thunderstruck,” as well as performing a few instrument swaps that led to a spectacular guitar solo from drummer Andrew Avila.

Aqueous performed their second set of the weekend on the Illinois St. stage on Saturday afternoon, jam-packing the hour and a half with jammed out versions of some heavy hitters, especially their classic “Skyway.” The set also featured a spot on cover of Paul McCartney’s James Bond theme song “Live and Let Die,” which had the crowd rocking out in the warm weather. Following Aqueous were the Canadian The Sheepdogs and Broken Social Scene, on the Columbia and Illinois St. stages respectively. The Sheepdogs featured a classic rock and roll sound, while bringing a bit of Canadian flavor to the music. Their set was comprised of mostly originals, but was closed by a song by “the greatest American rock and roll band,” (their words), “Ramblin’ Man” by the Allman Brothers Band. Broken Social Scene had an indie rock sound and surprised a lot of festivalgoers, rocking out as a collective group of musicians on the Illinois St. stage. Closing out the fest was Michelangelo Carubba’s Birthday Super Jam, which was comprised of Carubba, Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss of Aqueous, Craig Brodhead of Turkuaz, and Freekbass, the internet sensation that has mastered the art of playing bass. The supergroup also featured Shira Elias of Turkuaz and Ernie Chang of Andy Frasco & The U.N. for several songs. The set featured mainly covers, most importantly stellar versions of “Life in the Fast Lane” by The Eagles, “Vultures” by John Mayer, which Carubba surprisingly sang on, prompting Mike Gantzer to complement his voice, and a Freekbass-led version of “Fame” by David Bowie, which was the highlight of the set.

Cobblestone Live was a huge success that featured lots of fantastic local, national, and international bands, as well as an alpaca farm that had attendees raving. Hopefully the festival will return in 2019, bringing more music and great food to the residents of Buffalo. Check out the photo gallery below for a taste of what happened over the weekend.

August 3, 2018
Cobblestone Live to Host Second Annual Buffalo-Centric Fest

This weekend, the second annual Cobblestone Live will be taking place in Buffalo. Cobblestone is a fairly small festival, taking place in a single neighborhood and making use of the bars, restaurants, and venues that call it home. The festival’s stages are set up on the famous Illinois and Columbia Streets, as well as inside Lockhouse Distillery Buffalo Iron Works.

The lineup features some big names, such as the soulful Andy Frasco & the U.N., known for Frasco’s wild stage antics and soulful blues music, Brooklyn-based funk band Turkuaz, Broken Social Scene, and Buffalo natives Aqueous, the groove rock quartet that has spent the last two years touring the country relentlessly. Some smaller, more local bands are also featured, namely Space Junk, Cold Lazarus, First Ward, and Grateful Dead tribute band, Workingman’s Dead. Michelangelo Carubba of Turkuaz will be hosting a “Super Jam” on Saturday, July 28, which should be interesting to see, as they’ve yet to mention who will be included in the jam.

Cobblestone offers a wide variety of activities and vendors, including an alpaca farm on Saturday you should be sure to check out. Food vendors include Grateful Grind Coffee, Lloyd, Mazurek’s Bakery, Lugia’s, and Totally Edible. Lockhouse Distillery & Buffalo Iron Works will be providing festival drink menus. There will be several different vendors at the fest, including a tent for the Child Advocacy Center, an organization that provides treatment and support for kids in Erie County that have been physically or sexually abused. A portion of Cobblestone Live’s profits will be donated to the CAC.

Cobblestone Live is looking like a grand time, full of delicious food, drinks, and good music! Take a look at the daily lineup above to better plan out your Cobblestone experience. Check back with NYS Music for photos and coverage of the fest.

July 27, 2018
Aqueous Sets Sail at Riverboat Bar in Alex Bay

When the doors to The Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay opened up a little over an hour before Aqueous was to take the stage on Friday July 20, there was a feeling of anticipation for what was about to transpire. Most certainly the smallest and most intimate room the band still plays in New York State, The Riverboat was about to host the band for the 6th consecutive summer as a part of their Summer 2018 Live Music Series. As Aqueous fans began to filter into the venue, many of whom had put in hours of driving to see the show, there was a collective feeling that we were about to witness something special. The small stage set up and intimate layout of the room may have come as a shock to those who were now used to seeing the band play in larger music halls and festivals.

When the band, consisting of Mike Gantzer on guitar/vocals, Dave Loss on guitar/keys/vocals, Evan McPhaden on bass and Rob Houk on drums, made their way through the crowd to take the stage, high fiving their fans on the way, the energy in the room was apparent and everyone was eager for the band to begin their groove rock assault. With increasing airplay on Sirius XM’s JamOn station as well as high profile sets at large music festivals all summer, the band has continued to build a rabid fan base. Their fans, or AQuaintances, pack their shows and stream all of their past shows on nugs.net and the fans in attendance were ready to hear if their favorite AQ jam was going to be the opening song of the evening.

When the band broke into “20/20” from their 2014 album Cycles to open the first set, loud cheers could be heard from the crowd directly in front of the band, on the balcony above the stage and from those still waiting to get in the door or watching through the windows outside of the venue. From there the packed crowd was treated to renditions of “Complex Pt. II,” also from Cycles and old favorite “Marty” from 2011’s Giant Something before the band unleashed their breakthrough song “Origami” from 2012’s Willy is 40. At this point there was no mistaking that this was going to be a special and memorable evening. Following “Origami” the band continued on with “Dig It Good” and Steely Dan’s “Josie” before seamlessly transitioning back into “20/20” to close out the first set.

The second set was pure fire kicking off with “Strange Times” from Willy is 40 and concluded with a powerful version of “Kitty Chaser (Explosions)” from Cycles with nearly everyone in attendance singing along to the chorus of “Explosions in the sky, reflected in their eyes, another way to get to know the tiny street you live on.” After thanking The Riverboat for all of their support over the years, guitarist and vocalist Mike Gantzer delivered a heartfelt thank you to all of their fans for coming out to the show, supporting their original music and setting the vibe for a great show. A rocking cover of “Lithium” by Nirvana served as the encore to end a three and a half hour, 2-set show and left those near the front of the stage searching for setlists, posters and autographs to commemorate a great night of live music.

With the band’s profile and fan base increasing by the day, it remains to be seen if Aqueous will return to The Riverboat in Alex Bay next summer for a 7th annual AQ in ABAY performance. But one thing is for sure: everyone in attendance on this night is hoping for another one of these unique and intimate shows with their favorite band and keeping the tradition alive.

The Riverboat Bar Summer 2018 Live Music series continues this weekend with a FREE show by Albany, NY featuring jam rock favorites Formula 5 on Friday July 27 and Cleveland, OH jamtronica funk band Broccoli Samurai on Saturday July 28. The series continues through the month of August.

Aqueous Riverboat Bar, Alexandria Bay, NY

Set 1: 20/20 > Complex Pt. II, Marty > Origami, Dig It Good, Josie (Steely Dan cover) > 20/20

Set 2: Strange Times, Underlyer, Aldehyde > Uncle Phil’s Parachute, Kitty Chaser (Explosions) Encore: Lithium (Nirvana cover)

Upcoming Summer 2018 Live Music Series dates at The Riverboat are listed below:

July 27 Formula 5
July 28 Broccoli Samurai
August 4 The Old Main
August 5 Adapter. with special guests The Northmen
August 10 Nina’s Brew
August 11 Quantum Cosmic featuring members of Annie in the Water, Lord Eelctro, Knot Dead and Raisin Head
August 17 Gang of Thieves
August 18 Barroom Philosophers
August 24 Blind Owl Band Uncle Sam’s boat tour party
August 24 Folkfaces Blind Owl Band after party
August 25 TBA

Photos courtesy of Emily VanderWiel and Andy Gilbert. Words by Andy Cavallario.

July 27, 2018

Built in Breakdance